Russia offers India a super submarine

Russia could offer to build its latest nuclear submarine, possibly the multi-purpose ‘Yasen’ class sub suitably modified for India, analyst Zachary Keck wrote in an article for The National Interest.

A modified ‘Yasen’ class submarine, Russia’s latest nuclear sub, could be built specially
for India,
a report in the Indian ‘Economic Times’ newspaper suggested. The ET was quoting
the analyst Zachary Keck who, in an article in ‘The National Interest,’ said it
was possible that the new submarine would be one of the multi-purpose ‘Yasen’
class submarines, equipped with cruise missiles, or a modification of the
Yasen.

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According to Keck, the ET report states, India has been
interested in leasing a multi-purpose attack submarine for quite a long while.
This time, the Russian government has taken this interest on board and is developing
a separate submarine for India.

"The final details are yet to be
discussed, but at present it has been practically decided that a completely new
submarine will be built", the ET quotes Keck as saying, while citing an
anonymous source familiar with details of the project.

According to the article’s author, the ‘Yasen’
class submarine, if decided upon, will be a significant addition to India’s reduced
submarine fleet.

"The Yasen class submarine is one of
the most promising in the world. According to information available, the
submarine crew comprises 90 people, and is designed to have a high degree of
automation. Equipped with a new generation atomic reactor, the submarine can
reach a maximum speed of 40 knots and, in silent mode, is capable of 20 knots”,
said Kyle Mizokami in an interview with Keck.

The Yasen class submarine is equipped with
eight vertical missile silos, four 650 mm torpedo tubes and four 533 mm torpedo
tubes. The Yasen is also likely to be armed with the high speed underwater ‘Shkval’
torpedo, which has a radius of seven to thirteen km and a speed of up to 200
knots.